Okay Dokey...... Today's little snippet from the files of my not a lot of people know that concerns the often puzzling initials MUA. How often have you seen the initials MUA posted on Facebook and thought what does that stand for ?  Well wonder no more.... the initials stand for Makeup Artist and are used by a body of highly trained experts at making you look your best and my job much easier.

 When you book your portrait sitting or your model portfolio shoot you spend ages deciding what outfits you will wear to look your absolute best in the finished photos. Do you take as much care over your makeup ? ....guys im not including you although some of you have made me wonder.

I am fortunate to be able to call on the services of not one ...not two..... but THREE extremely talented makeup artists who can attend your shoot and provide you with a makeover to fully compliment your chosen outfit and desired look. From the light and understated to the way out and adventurous.

The MUA's who work with me can all be found on Facebook so even if you are not having photos done they are available for Weddings ( alone or as part of a photography package) formals etc. they are .....

1. Jill Anderson (Facebook J Anderson MUA)
2. Linda Wilson( Facebook Linda Wilson MUA or Sheer Bliss Makeup)
3. Rachael Donaghy ( Facebook Rachael D MUA )

I am truely happy to endorse the work of all three of these talented ladies ...so if you are thinking of a shoot consider them as an optional extra to enhance your experience.

Pictures of the girls at work are shown below.

 Jill Anderson at work on Location

Linda Wilson doing a Bridal Shoot.

                                                                             

Rachael Donaghy on Location.

A wee piece about portraits today ....... in the past portraits consisted of family groups or individuals in good clothes posing formally and stiffly being asked to "say Cheese" or "watch the Birdie". Nowadays the portrait has had major makeover surgery. There are still formal studio shoots but increasingly they are being made more fun and casual. The terminology used is explained as follows


 " High Key".... portraits taken against a pure white background very popular with certain large commercial photography companies characterized by a total lack of shadow or contrast this can be a very striking way of showing your portraits.  

"Low Key" .... The opposite of high key :-) taken against a pure black background using lots of shadows to create a dark and mysterious look very popular with model portfolio work. 

 













"Lifestyle".... Informal portraits taken in a setting showing the subject doing something that defines them be it work or leisure.

"Outdoor Portrait" Using a location to really bring out the best in your subject. Again this is very popular with models wishing to expand their portfolios with original work. I have a huge number of exceptional shoot locations close to my studio including Beaches, Forest Historic Ruins and many more there is something to suit every taste.

Whatever type of portrait you like i am equipped and able to shoot all of them and will work with you to get you photos you will treasure forever.

Busy day today , after a late night (not drinking) out this morning to shoot the matches at Coleraine Mini Rugby club where Coleraine took on Ballyclare and won every match.

The boys braved serious cold temperatures to play an entertaining and very physical match. well done to all involved

Confirmed today my first Pro baby shoot on Monday here at the studio the delightful Travis and mum Cheryl are coming over to have the wee man photographed. Babies are only babies for a very short time ( i recently said something very similar about puppies) so why not have your little un photographed and captured on a high quality print. A very popular thing at the moment is to have 3 pics taken during the first year of babies life one at newborn stage one at 6 months and one at a year old. The pics are then put together in a single image or 3 to a frame and give a lovely record of your babies first year. I hope to get many more mother / baby shoots in the future.

A slow day today due to the incessant rain. Spent most of the day editing some previous shoots including more of the wonderful Mceleney sisters. no new shoot today so todays pic is of the other gorgeous Mceleney sister Lauren.

Pet Portraits are the latest thing. Capture your precious pet at the prime of their life .... Just like kids they grow up too fast. My model today the Gorgeous Claire brought her wee puppy Mitzi along and we decided to capture her for posterity. Puppies are only puppies for a very short time.
I offer a full service for photographing pets either here at the studio or in the pets familiar surroundings at your home. I will photography any type of animal from a stick insect to a horse contact me and see what i can offer you.

Hey look its raining !!!!.   Not so bad today cos i have a nice wee indoor shoot that sees the long overdue return to my studio of the stunning Claire Espley. Welcome back Claire ...... Stay tuned to see the pics of this awesome model.

1.30 pm Shoot is all wrapped up !! i have some absolutely awesome shots to go edit. Claire you are an absolute star :-)

First pic from the shoot ...... Stunning !!!

Thinking of getting married ? Choosing your wedding photographer is one of the most important decisions you will have to make (apart from who to marry). I offer a range of wedding packages to suit all tastes and budgets from the classic full leather album to the simple full digital package where the images are supplied to you on disc. There are a load of options in between those two. I promise to be one of the best value photographers you will find so please give me a call and come meet me to discuss what i can do for you to make your big day as special as possible. I always go the extra mile for my clients and when you book me you get me from the bride getting ready right through to the first dance as a married couple. I am now taking bookings for weddings so please contact me you wont regret it

Bit of a slow day today as kids are off school ( exceptional closure whatever that is !) Also very little sleep last night so absolutely knackered. No shoots today so finishing the editing of a few previous shoots to get them tidied up. Weekends filling up nicely with photo-shoots but would like a few more weekday ones if anyone is interested. No fresh picture for you today so i will post one from the wonderful shoot with the gorgeous Emily Mceleney from last week.

A picture from the amazing Sci Fi shoot with Jolene. This is the first time i have had a go at this level of special effects post processing would appreciate your thoughts :-)

Brilliant shoot today in the studio with the wonderful Jolene. She came to us with a Sci fi theme in mind the first time i have ever been asked for that. It really got the creative juices flowing and we came up with some really quirky shots which will be posted soon. Makeup by the brilliant Linda Wilson Of sheer bliss makeup. Every dayis different i love it

Well another day another cancelled shoot. This weather is seriously hacking me off now. Was due to go on location to do a nice wee shoot and the rain and wind spoiled it again. Stayed home and got to some serious editing of past shoots need to get caught up cos i have another shoot tomorrow and ones booked for tuesday and wednesday next week already . also got confirmation of my first formal over in Donegal later in the year . Very excited about this

What a day !! Out early this morning to scout a location for a shoot which turned out to be good but then the good old Northern Ireland weather decided to come out to play and scuppered any chance of an outdoor adventure.

Anyway we pressed on and after a makeup session with Jill Anderson we reconvened at my studio for a hasty indoor shoot. My model the stunning Emily Mceleney and her equally gorgeous sister Lauren were terrific and the day flew by with a lot of great craic. I now have over 200 photos to sort and edit. I have another shoot booked for tomorrow and more for next week ..... Bring it on

Ok Today started badly when my Morning shoot cancelled an hour before she was due to arrive. It was for a genuine and urgent reason so no fault of hers. went over my old shoots and reedited a few raw files to see if i have improved my retouching ..... Jury is out on that one. Finished the text for my new website which is going live very soon and now preparing for tomorrows shoot with 2 gorgeous sisters from Donegal. 3
 more enquiries today for shoots ..keep em coming folks :-)

Well here goes folks my first ever blog entry. I so wanted to make it a really good one packed with interesting facts and good stuff but the muse has totally deserted me so i will just kick off by saying that i am going "full time" as a pro photographer after years of amateur work.

I will shortly be launching a brand new website designed by the talented Richardnbell.com
I will also be blogging on here regularly and posting news events and competitions with some great prizes to give away.

These are exciting times for me and i hope you will come along for the ride

welcome aboard